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Early Nightly is up

Brian anchors the broadcast tonight from home base in New York, but as he travels back to NBC News headquarters, Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory delivers the vlog from Washington. The "A" block tonight will focus mainly on reaction to last night's State of the Union address, as David explains.

Click here or on the image to watch.

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The Shia terror threat?

In his State of the Union address last night, President Bush talked for the first time about the threat of Shia extremism, placing it and the leading Shia extremist group, Hezbollah, alongside Sunni extremism, and al-Qaida, as threats to the United States.

Speaking of al-Qaida, the President stated: "These men are not given to idle words, and they are just one camp in the Islamist radical movement. In recent times, it has also become clear that we face an escalating danger from Shia extremists who are just as hostile to America, and are also determined to dominate the Middle East. Many are known to take direction from the regime in Iran, which is funding and arming terrorists like Hezbollah, a group second only to al-Qaida in the American lives it has taken.

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The war in Iraq: It is real

I have been in Iraq only two days and this is my first visit, so my impressions can only be those of a new set of eyes looking at a very well-examined place and situation. 

Still, two things stand out to me immediately: One is that at the hospital in the Green Zone where the 28th Combat Support Hospital (CASH in military speak) receives massive numbers of wounded soldiers, there is a sense of it all being so routine. And it is not just the medical staff that does such a sensational job; the troops I spoke with who woke up with missing limbs and other severe injuries seemed so stoic and calm. It is as though they know that their patrols here have such a high chance of encountering life-threatening trouble that they almost expect it to happen. 

People can talk about bravery and dedication, but when a young woman who just lost her leg tells me she is still glad to just see the sun rise and be in the Army, I'm so moved I start to cry.  Another impression: the Green Zone -- the international American-guarded sector -- Saddam's old palaces, where massively armed U.S. soldiers and a few Iraqis walk around in a calm atmosphere. One can see and feel huge explosions only hundreds of yards away, but it seems thoroughly incongruous. But today, seeing the mangled soldiers in the Green Zone made me know -- it is real.

Editor's note: If you missed Robert's report on Tuesday's broadcast, click here to watch.

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On the Hill

I write this from our offices on Capitol Hill where the Capitol Dome will tonight appear over my shoulder -- and where we will originate NBC Nightly News and NBC News coverage of the State of the Union Address.

It's been a day of nonstop briefings... a meeting at the White House with the most senior officials there, followed by the same on the Hill with Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid. We also had time with Senator Webb who says he has written his own speech tonight (he will deliver the response). It appears, from the guest list in the Democratically-controlled galleries in the House chamber tonight, that a message is being sent on the topic of 9/11. Many of the guests have an affiliation (more than one lost a loved one) having to do with the terrorist attacks. Aides say the President's speech will essentially be divided in half, between foreign and domestic policy, the former, they point out, not designed to elicit much applause. The real history of the night will appear early on to those watching at home. For starters, we will hear the announcement: "Madam Speaker, the President of the United States." After that, when all are seated, the "three-shot" that all Americans will see of the rostrum will include a woman for the first time in American history. As the analysts and pundits will no doubt take great pains to point out, the President comes to the chamber tonight in a weakened political state: his poll numbers are bad, the GOP has lost control of both houses of Congress, and he sees himself as backing the only viable policy given the current circumstances in Iraq.  What remains unclear after our round of briefings is: Do the Democrats believe the Iraqi military is capable of taking over in the event of a U.S. troop pullout? As one prominent Democrat put it to us today, "the goal is no American troops on the streets of Iraq." Does that mean anyone is making an apples-to-apples comparison of U.S. and Iraqi Army combat teams? Senior aides to the President say he knows full well the extent of the "war fatigue" in the country. The Speaker today indicated she does not doubt the President's sincerity, she just wholeheartedly disagrees with the message he will deliver tonight. Finally, one indication of just how new a notion "the majority" is to the Democrats: Majority Leader Reid said he was late to the Speaker's office, because he went to her OLD office, the Minority Leader's suite. It might take some practice.

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SOTU fact sheets

As Kelly mentioned in her post, the White House has released details about the policy initiatives President Bush will talk about tonight. You can read them all at WhiteHouse.gov.

You can follow all other State of the Union developments, and read all of President Bush's previous speeches, in our special section.

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State of the Union preview

Advisors say the president's speech is running about 40 minutes, not counting applause. Brian anchors NBC News coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET and expected to last at least an hour.

The president is rehearsing in the family theater at the White House. The speech has been revised more than 30 times and every word change generates a new draft. Advisors say the president has been personally involved in editing since the very early drafts. About a half dozen speech writers have been working the text. We'll have fact sheets about the speech in the early afternoon, excerpts at about 5:30 p.m. ET and full text as prepared for delivery by 8 p.m.

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Early Nightly is up

Brian anchors the broadcast from Washington, D.C., tonight. But as he wings his way to the nation's capital, Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory delivers the vlog. Topic No. 1 tonight: President Bush's State of the Union. Brian anchors NBC News coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

Click here or on the image to watch the vlog.

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Raise your hand

It may well be easier to ask all Americans who are NOT running for president to raise their hands. The new week brings three new entrants in the race, and while they are all interesting, the woman who is perhaps the most prominent among them dropped by our studios today for an interview that will air tonight. Senator Clinton certainly wins the entourage sweepstakes. By dint of her Secret Service protection, and additionally due to the sheer size of her staff (a lot of familiar faces who have been at this a long time), she presents as a walking event when she goes anywhere. Today our central hallway, makeup room and studio were no exception. If you pay attention to the political and press types, Bill Richardson, another of this weekend's entrants, may be the guy sitting on top of a minor electoral gold mine. The thinking being expressed by some is that by getting into the race, he might be the most valuable potential VICE presidential candidate in the field: a Southwestern Governor with Cabinet-level international political experience, who is today at the heart of the immigration debate. We'll see, of course. He's running for the top job, after all. In this compressed existence, a day is a year -- and we have over a calendar year to go. It will be fascinating to go back through the clips, blogs and broadcasts to see who was whistling Dixie.

When I asked Senator Clinton about the "Obama effect" -- namely her declaring her candidacy so early -- even before the President's State of the Union address, she answered, "That was our plan, yes..." We'll have it all for you tonight.

Brian interviews Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in Studio 3A. Photo by NBC's Subrata De.

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A second homecoming

An hour before dawn this morning, in a pouring rain, wounded Iraq war veteran Dan McKinney returned to his old law enforcement job at the Port of Miami, and received a hero's welcome. The many hugs, handshakes and warm wishes were a far cry from the reception he endured 37 years ago when he also returned injured from Vietnam, and was cursed by angry crowds. On tonight's broadcast, you'll get a chance to meet McKinney and hear from one of the many people at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), who took extraordinary steps to support and protect him this time around.

Nearly two years ago, the now 55-year-old McKinney was called up by the Army Reserves, and was sent to Iraq to train policemen. But while he was taking a lunch break at an Iraqi compound, a suicide bomber dressed as a policeman walked in the door and set off a deadly explosive. Two Americans were killed, and four were injured. McKinney suffered a severe abdominal injury. He would spend the next year and a half in treatment and rehabilitation facilities.

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Early Nightly is up

Brian anchors the broadcast tonight from New York, where at this hour he is interviewing Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., who took the first step toward running for president in 2008. The early start to the presidential campaign will be one story in the broadcast.

Click here or on the image to watch the vlog.

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